Saint Arnold Elissa IPA | Saint Arnold Brewing Company

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Notes / Commercial Description:
A traditional India Pale Ale, the Elissa IPA is very hoppy with a properly balanced malty body. Elissa has huge hop additions in the kettle that give it a wonderful bitterness and is then dry-hopped in the fermenter to create the pleasant floral, hoppy nose. Our reverse osmosis water makes the bitter very soft with no harsh notes to it. The maltiness is derived from British Maris Otter malt. Its rich flavor stands up to the hops that would otherwise dominate this beer. The Elissa is an authentic version of an India Pale Ale (IPA) style.

A bit of a hybrid here with English malts and Cascade hops. Authenticity aside, the word "hybrid" is overused to begin with, and look at the facts: 6.6 percent ABV and roughly 60 IBUs--yeah ... that sounds like a modern day American IPA to us.

Good head retention with a sea foam-like lacing on the glass similar to when a tide pulls back. Orangey hop aroma with some juice and rind, a tad minty and earthy as well. There's a pleasant toasted biscuit malt nose right below the surface of the hops. A nice burst of smoothness opens up this beer. Hop bitterness is there with a slick resiny/oily orange flavor that puckers with rind and zest. More of a citric oil and wildflower flavor in the middle. The malt steps up and is able to balance without a problem--it's very biscuity with a toasted husk note in the finish. End is semi-bitter and dry.

This reminds us of those old school "microbrews" of days long gone which we love. Great to see this flavor is still around. Thumbs up!

This is a turbid, amber beer with a dull glow. I had yeast floaties in mine. There is a very impressive two fingers of sherbert head that sticks around and laves great lace. The nose is prettymuch standard cascade citrus, pine, and a deeply biscuity malt aroma. Was nice for the first few quaffs, but turned a little musty on me.

The upfront character of this beer is juicy-fruit gum chaced quick with a bracing, almsot antagonistic hop bitter, which falls flat due to a combination of water mouthfeel, overcarbonation, and lack of a strong malt foundation. It all drops out the bottom. Metallic finish makes it all the more funky. I'm not too impressed with Elissa, and had a hard time finishing it.

Goes to show what cask can do I guess. I had it on cask in Houston and it was pretty dreamy.

12oz bottle pours into my glass a solid amber orange color with great clarity. A half inch of creamy white head rises up and leaves some lacing on the way down. Aromas begin with toasted and caramel malt accents alongside a nice helping of floral, herbal hop notes. I get a little bit of spiciness in there as well. Good balance between hop and malt aromas.

First sip brings a toasty, slightly bready caramel malt upfront that segues into a quite floral, herbal hop flavor with some notes of citrus and fruit as well. It moves down with a light spicy aspect and finishes off with a nice shot of bitterness. On the maltier side for an IPA, but in the end still quite tasty.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice creaminess and a good strudy carbonation that brings it all together. A solid, easy drinking IPA. Overall, this has good drinkability and I could easily have a few. It's a nice change of pace from the big west coast IPA's I've had recently. Thanks to JDV for my first sampling of Saint Arnold's beer!

The flavor is milder than expected - some sweet bready, biscuit malts with a little fruit and a decent grassy, slightly metallic bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

No dating on the bottle.
Poured a honeyed golden and clear, with a bit of white head that left only a thin ring and a little dusting in the center. Caramelly sweet and hoppy aroma. Bitey hops, peppery, and bitterness. Grapefruit rind with a bit of grapefruit juice. Bit of sweetness and roasted maltiness coming through. Smooth with a nicely low carbination. Nicely drinkable, good flavors and neither too heavy or too light. Could easily drink a bunch of these.
Thanks to Kindestcut for this one!

Many thanks to TxBeer for this one...
Pours an orange/copper color w/ a half finger of off-white head after a gentle pour....mininal lacing and head disappears within minutes.
Aroma is faint yet inticing...a nice fruity hop presence w/ some sweet malt and iced tea.
Taste is nice...a boatload of bitterness w/ a very subtle sweetness.
Very well balanced for the style...not trying to overdo it.
Mouthfeel is above average and the carbonation is perfect.
I would enjoy this one on tap very much...a very quaffable IPA.
1st impressions w/ St. Arnold are solid...recommend it to any fan of the style.

I've been drinking this beer for years, but realized I had never reviewed it.

Pours a hazy golden color with a minimal white head. Due to the beer being unfiltered, there is some yeast in the bottom of the glass after pouring.

There is not a lot of aroma (which is the only weakness in this beer as far as I am concerned) in the beer, but what is there is nicely balanced. The flavor is outstanding, progressing from malt, to hop bitterness and then finishing with a strong cascade hop flavor. Even at 6.6 percent ABV, this is a very drinkable IPA. The bitterness does not linger. This is a beer you can have multiple pints of over the course of an evening.